John Klein

John was born in the Bronx on March 18, 1927, the youngest of three children born to John and Marion Klein. His sisters, Marion and Sally, predeceased him.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, John, like many Americans, wanted to serve his country. Despite being underage, he enlisted with the United States Navy and proudly served in World War II and the Korean War. Upon leaving the Navy, his training as a radio man afforded him the opportunity to join Western Union International in lower Manhattan as a technician, where he worked his way up to a position overseeing their “new-fangled” computer systems. Upon John’s retirement from Western Union, he took a job with ITS/SITA, which specialized in communications for the air transport industry.

On October 26, 1957, he married Thelma Dale Connolly. They moved to Long Island and settled in Brentwood where they raised their five children. In 1990, they moved to a log home on eight acres in West Kill where they could enjoy “God’s Country” in their own backyard.

John was predeceased by Dale, the love of his life, last April. He will be tenderly remembered by his children, John (Gina), William, Matthew (Kathleen), Laura O’Leary (Edward) and Steven (Barbara); his grandchildren, Rosemary Marszycki (Michael), J.D., Rebecca, Barbara Dale and Abigail; two great grandchildren, Alison and Madilynn; and his cherished sister-in-law, Laura Egan and her husband Skip.

John, who in later years was never seen without his trademark suspenders, was often photographed holding a largemouth bass. He spent countless hours in a boat, contemplating life while trying to catch “The Big One.” John taught his children a love for the outdoors. In the early years, he spent every August vacation hauling the family camper from Long Island to Windham, where they enjoyed the peace and serenity of a campsite at White Birches. He was a fan of John Wayne, the NY Football Giants, the NY Yankees, and after the NY Rangers traded away Eddie Giacomin, the NY Islanders. He was skilled at growing vegetables, and could grow anything, anywhere as long as he had some seeds, a watering can, and a patch of dirt. John enjoyed reading novels in his recliner and having a piece of chocolate immediately after dinner. Even in his later years, you could find him cutting firewood, plowing snow, or riding his John Deere tractor across “the back forty.” Much like John Wayne, John Klein was a man of few words and was larger than life to those who knew him.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, January 16, 2023 at 10:00 AM at Saint Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church located at 10 Squire Avenue in Yonkers.